2013 NHL Draft Profile: Morgan Klimchuk

If you look up the word ‘underrated’ in the
dictionary, you might find a picture of Regina Pats forward Morgan
Klimchuk staring back at you.

Fresh off of Canada’s first gold medal at the World Under
18 Championship tournament since 2008 last month, Klimchuk is a
player on the rise, even if he isn’t generating a lot of talk
in prospect circles. The speedy and highly skilled offensive winger
hopes to parlay a 36-goal season and strong international play into
a first-round selection at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft in Newark, N.J.
June 30.

“He’s unbelievably coachable,” said new Regina
head coach Malcolm Cameron, who replaced Pat Conacher after
spending several seasons with the Pats as an assistant. “His
hockey IQ is probably his best attribute. He thinks the game higher
than most players.”

The 18-year-old Calgary resident was born in Regina but moved
with his family to Alberta at just four days old. Coming back to
his birth city to star for the hometown major junior club has been
a great experience for the youngster, but he understands that the
work is only beginning.

“I take my training very seriously,” Klimchuk told
New England Hockey Journal after he returned from Sochi. “In
terms of hockey, I’m focusing on my skating- improving my
first four steps and acceleration. I’ve obviously got to get
bigger, stronger too, so I’ve got a pretty full schedule to
get ready for the next season.”

With the Boston Bruins having struggled at times to find the
back of the net consistently this season, should Klimchuk be
available to them at the end of the first round, he just might be
one of those dual needs and best available player selections.

“Klimchuk will go higher than folks think,” said one
NHL scout based in Western Canada. “You wish he showed just a
little toughness, but the skating and skill are elite.”

Although his size is only average at a listed 5-foot-11,
180-pounds, Klimchuk is an excellent skater and puckhandler with a
lightning release and the natural vision/hockey sense to be a
threat to score on every shift. However, where he was considered by
many to be a one-dimensional player during his 18-goal, 36-point
rookie campaign, the center (who can play any forward position)
jumped to 36 goals and 76 points while bringing a more rounded game
in 2012-13.

In his rookie season, Klimchuk admitted to taking a little time
to adjust to the demands of the WHL both on the ice and in terms of
the long season grind.

“It was a pretty big jump, and the first thing you notice
is the speed of the game and how fast your time and space are
gone,” said Klimchuk. “It’s pretty cliché
to say that the guys are so much bigger and stronger than bantam
and midget, but it’s true. I had some great veteran players
who really welcomed me in and helped me to make the adjustment at
this level, though.”

Pat Conacher and the Regina coaching staff went out of the way
to surround Klimchuk with quality veteran players who could show
him what right looked like. As a result, that move paid off, with
Klimchuk taking his offense to a different level, even though the
team fell short of making the WHL playoffs.

“He was pretty advanced for a 16-year-old,” Cameron
said. “He stepped into a very good situation, but we put him
with (Kings prospect) Jordan Weal, who was an accomplished WHL
player, and Lane Scheidl, and the two of them took Morgan under
their wing and showed him what he needed to do to be successful at
this level. “

Scheidl returned to Regina this season for an overage campaign,
where he and Klimchuk combined for 77 goals on a team that scored
just 191 total.

“Goals did not come easy for us this year, but Morgan was
such a consistent offensive presence as a 17-year-old,”
Cameron said. “He has a natural nose for the net and
re-dedicated himself to playing a complete game this season. We
didn’t make the playoffs, but he was a big part of the
success we had.”

Klimchuk grew up rooting for the Calgary Flames and Jarome
Iginla, but also liked lesser-known Flames forward Oleg Saprykin,
the 11th overall selection in 1999.

“I liked his speed and skill,” Klimchuk said.
“He was a part of Calgary’s run to the Stanley Cup
final (in 2004) and even though he wasn’t ever a star (325
NHL games, 137 points), I enjoyed watching him play.”

NHL scouts and Klimchuk’s coach may feel that he
doesn’t get enough credit for his talent and long-term NHL
potential, but those who have followed him closely won’t be
surprised if he goes top-20. If available and the Bruins still hold
their first-round selection in Newark at around 26 (conditional to
Dallas as part of the Jaromir Jagr trade), he’s the kind of
high-upside player whose offensive skill and character would be a
nice fit in the organization.

“I enjoy watching the Bruins,” he said. “I
like the style they play and it would obviously be a thrill to be
selected by Boston.”